Khizr Khan and Sen. John McCain have one thing in common — both have been in the crosshairs of Donald Trump.

And now, both have taken turns defending the other.

"Sen. McCain — he's my hero," Khan told CNN. "The last book my son read that I sent him was Senator McCain's book about courage: "Why Courage Matters." So for me to hear Donald Trump malign my hero — my son's hero — it is just mind-boggling."

Khan was responding to Trump's assertion that McCain, a Vietnam War pilot, wasn't a true hero because he got captured.

McCain was one of many Republicans to denounce Trump's war of words with the Khan family that began when Khizr Khan criticized Trump at the Democratic National Convention.

"It is time for Donald Trump to set the example for our country and the future of the Republican Party," McCain said. "While our party has bestowed upon him the nomination, it is not accompanied by unfettered license to defame those who are the best among us."